BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF (ZWU.TO) Buy,…

BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF (ZWU.TO)

11.95

+0.03 (0.21%)

as of Jun 19, 2026, 7:53:03 pm Market Open.

251 watching

TOP PICK

Income focused. Yielding close to 6%. Hard to beat. Diversified out of Canada, US is close to 20%. Expense ratio: 0.71%. Good dividend play.

BUY

Good yield. A defensive name that he would own. Good diversifier.

WEAK BUY

It owns the major utilities and the covered call generates a little more income. This is an income play; don't expect much capital appreciation--this is a decent strategy.

DON'T BUY

It does not pass the screen of green. He would have a problem with it over the long term. Traditional utilities, pipelines etc. So over the next 10-20 years the pipelines may turn out to be stranded assets. YLCO-N is a green utilities alternative to ZWU but in the US.

BUY

Moving from Canadian Banks. Diversification is always a good idea. With ZWU-T you add pipelines (Can and US), Telcos (Can/US), and Can and US utilities. They are all interest sensitive in a different way and the covered call overlay will give you a higher yield. Distributions are safe.

BUY

He likes it because there are many US utilities there. He sold many in December because he wanted the pure play when the market dropped.

COMMENT

In a defensive sector which is the right one to be one during market duress. But you're selling calls to create extra income. This is merely okay. Total returns have been flat lately, though ZWU has done better than the overall markets. Hold this outside the RRSP, given tax considerations. Just remember: if the market drops 30%, ZWU will fall 24%.

COMMENT

Utilities include telephones, pipelines and power. He owns this for clients who want the dividend, not long-term performance. If interest rates rise, this will likely fall. But he foresees minimal increases coming (2 from the U.S. this year, he thinks), so ZWU will perform flatly.

COMMENT

ZUT-T vs. ZWU-T. As we go into a recession, bond rates are dropping. ZUT-T is an equal weight exposure to traditional Canadian utilities. ZWU-T includes telcos and pipelines. He is always more in favour of diversification.

BUY

Or buy ZWD instead? He likes it because it has both Canadian and American utilities, and it has a covered call. The only problem with utilities is that they can't raise revenues (pass them onto the consumer) when interest rates rise.

TOP PICK

Provides safe, regular cash flow. A package of diversified utilities, with dividends that you can depend on, and the covered call provides additional income. The cost of the ETF is quite low.

COMMENT

Investors are hiding out in utilities. ZWU's covered call mitigates some volatility. (FIE-T is another one he'd look at.) If this ETF performs too well, it means the rest of the market is in trouble. Be careful you don't get suckered into defensive names.

COMMENT

ZPR-T vs. ZWC-T vs. ZWU-T. He likes ZWU-T and ZWC-T for the covered calls. ZPR-T is reset preferreds. They reset. There is an expectation that BOC will be less aggressive with interest rates so we are seeing pressure on these. The lower it gets the more he likes it. He feels it will appreciate next year.`

BUY

ZWU-T vs. ZWB-T. Rising interest rates are positive for revenues for banks, not profits necessarily. The yield curve is flattening and this is not good for banks. He prefers ZWU-t to ZWB-T.

HOLD

Good idea to add? Getting monthly dividend income plus income off the option premium. Buying this for the cash flow. This particular product will suffer in a higher interest rate environment. Don’t add now. Instead, buy ZWB, add it to ZWU, and together that’s your portfolio.

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